Just 22 days into Health Canada’s new commercial marijuana program, the challenges facing one of the first licensed pot producers are putting a spotlight on the program’s growing pains.
Greenleaf Medicinals was suddenly missing from the list of government-approved licensed producers Tuesday, days after the company voluntarily recalled a batch of its Purple Kush marijuana.
It was the first recall under the new program, which launched April 1. Health Canada said in a brief statement that the recall was due to the “company’s production practices, which were identified during a Health Canada inspection.”
The Nanaimo, B.C., company’s website is currently out of service, and a customer service line goes to voicemail that says “sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused you over the past week”. The message then tells customers calling about the recall to leave a message or email the company. Greenleaf representatives could not immediately be reached for comment on Tuesday to clarify the company’s status.
It’s not clear exactly what prompted the recall. Customers were being asked to stop using pot from this shipment, but Health Canada said anyone who already used it is not in danger. A spokeswoman for the agency would not comment on the cause of the recall and could not immediately offer details on why Health Canada removed Greenleaf Medicinals from its online listing.
The federal agency oversees the medical marijuana industry in Canada, which was created on April 1 with the implementation of new rules. Health Canada has come under scrutiny for how it's handled the transition to licensed corporate producers. Health Canada has argued that small-scale grow operations are a hazardous and a threat to public safety.
Medical marijuana patients mounted a legal challenge to the program, arguing they will not be able to afford marijuana if prices increase as expected. Judge Michael Manson said patients would be “irreparably harmed” by the new regulations, and granted an injunction allowing patients to continue to grow their own cannabis. The federal government has filed an appeal of the injunction.
Greenleaf Medicinals was suddenly missing from the list of government-approved licensed producers Tuesday, days after the company voluntarily recalled a batch of its Purple Kush marijuana.
It was the first recall under the new program, which launched April 1. Health Canada said in a brief statement that the recall was due to the “company’s production practices, which were identified during a Health Canada inspection.”
The Nanaimo, B.C., company’s website is currently out of service, and a customer service line goes to voicemail that says “sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused you over the past week”. The message then tells customers calling about the recall to leave a message or email the company. Greenleaf representatives could not immediately be reached for comment on Tuesday to clarify the company’s status.
It’s not clear exactly what prompted the recall. Customers were being asked to stop using pot from this shipment, but Health Canada said anyone who already used it is not in danger. A spokeswoman for the agency would not comment on the cause of the recall and could not immediately offer details on why Health Canada removed Greenleaf Medicinals from its online listing.
The federal agency oversees the medical marijuana industry in Canada, which was created on April 1 with the implementation of new rules. Health Canada has come under scrutiny for how it's handled the transition to licensed corporate producers. Health Canada has argued that small-scale grow operations are a hazardous and a threat to public safety.
Medical marijuana patients mounted a legal challenge to the program, arguing they will not be able to afford marijuana if prices increase as expected. Judge Michael Manson said patients would be “irreparably harmed” by the new regulations, and granted an injunction allowing patients to continue to grow their own cannabis. The federal government has filed an appeal of the injunction.